Less than a decade ago, the cost of renewable energy could not compete with the cost of fossil fuels. Since then, that price gap has been eliminated. What’s more, renewable energy’s downward cost trend promises to continue. ......Read More

Publishing a corporate social responsibility (CSR) report is an important undertaking. The data within this document must be an accurate, reliable reflection of performance against clearly articulated goals and objectives. This provides an opportunity to report effectively to financial markets and the general public about past accomplishments and ongoing commitments.......Read More

How will we satisfy the food and water needs of the 9.8 billion people expected to live on earth by 2050? To what extent will demand for energy increase in the coming decades? How will the world make the transition to cleaner energy and curb the effects of climate change? And what will be the impact of the megacities that are expected to emerge in developing countries in the not-too-distant future?......Read More

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is a forum where the governments of 34 democracies with market economies work together, as well as with more than 70 nonmember economies, in order to promote economic growth, prosperity and sustainable development. The member countries account for 63 percent of world GDP, three-quarters of all trade and 18 percent of global population.......Read More

Transparency in global supply chains is vital. Without it, it’s impossible to anticipate and manage supplier risk, minimize supply chain disruptions, prevent litigation, and protect your brand. Unfortunately, for years now, global supply chains have been a bit of a murky business. As the impact of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ripples across the globe — alongside increasing antibribery and corruption regulation and enforcement in many Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries — the pressure for supply chains to be transparent continues to mount.......Read More

As a young professional, I always value the opportunity to learn from more experienced supply chain managers. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Bill Best, divisional vice president of supply chain operations, and Tiffany Thompson, supply chain strategy manager, at specialty outdoor retailer REI. Since finishing graduate school with an MBA in global supply chain management, I began working at REI part time and have enjoyed learning about the inner-workings of this unique company.......Read More

People often talk about motivation and engagement as if they are the same thing, but they really are not.......Read More

This has been quite a year for crises related to culture, values and ethics in the supply chain. For starters, ride-hailing service provider Uber has paid reparations totaling $20 million after making false promises about driver earning potential; lost a half-million app users when #DeleteUber went viral as a result of the company's activity during a taxi protest; paid New York City drivers tens of millions of dollars after taking a larger cut of fares than it was entitled; and fired numerous employees following investigations of sexual harassment, stolen trade secrets, systematic deception of law enforcement, discrimination and more.......Read More

In recent months, several automakers have made some very exciting and inspiring commitments to fight climate change and improve air quality by manufacturing cars that are fueled by electricity rather than fossil fuels. One example is Volvo Car Group, which announced in July that all of its models will be either hybrids or exclusively battery powered by 2019. This is a daring move in the industry. ......Read More

Telecom and technology giant AT&T has been around for 141 years. Although the company operates in more than 200 countries and acquires an average of five patents a day, its leaders know continued success depends on sustainability. And from there, it’s a short leap to supply chain, which they recognize is central to any sustainability initiative.......Read More

Cities are getting smart, partly because of the rise of cloud computing and the internet of things (IOT). City administrators are starting to use IOT data to run their operations and help improve residents’ environments and lives. AT&T is doing more than taking note of this trend; it’s working with city officials in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and other cities through its Smart Cities solutions.......Read More

No matter the type, location or size of a company, a huge percentage of its total expenses are going be spent on supply chain activities. Therefore, to create lasting value, it is imperative that businesses engage and collaborate with their suppliers. Simply maintaining transactional supplier-buyer relationships, dictating rules and mandating compliance are not enough. To create true competitive advantage, organizations must enact transformational change related to procurement policies and practices in conjunction with a comprehensive supply chain strategy.......Read More

For companies looking for ways to give back, a corporate fellowship program provides the opportunity to donate money, employee time and other resources to causes around the world. Here are a few tips from company leaders who manage these types of immersive programs at West Monroe Partners and Merck.......Read More

“On our first day at Bayalpata Hospital in Nepal, the hospital director looked at the three of us and said, ‘What are three senior pharmaceutical people doing here?’” recounts Bryan Baylis, former associate director of supply chain management at Merck. “We were thinking the same thing.”......Read More

Kendis Paris is the executive director of Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), a nonprofit that trains members of the trucking industry to fight human trafficking. Elizabeth Rennie, APICS magazine senior managing editor, recently spoke with Paris about TAT and how APICS members — particularly those in logistics, transportation and distribution — can help address this global crisis.......Read More

For decades, product design, production, sale and use have followed the take, make and dispose industrial model. The manufacturing company takes natural and synthetic resources; converts them to a product; and then sells the item to a consumer, who ultimately uses and then disposes of it. In this model, products are designed to be sold at a low price, are not intended to have long lives and are difficult to service. This means that, when a product breaks, the consumer’s best — and sometimes only — option is to throw it away and buy a new one. The problem is that products that follow this model are quickly using up natural resources and polluting the environment with all types of waste.......Read More

Imagine starting each workday by putting a match to a fistful of money — thousands of dollars up in smoke. It certainly wouldn’t make good business sense. And yet, countless companies do exactly that through myriad kinds of waste.......Read More

According to the World Health Organization, 2.4 billion people do not have access to clean sanitation, and 1.8 million children die every year because their immune systems are not strong enough to battle diseases — many of which could easily be prevented with soap. In fact, simple handwashing cuts morbidity rates by nearly 50 percent. Sicknesses related to contaminated water supplies and poor hygiene most often plague poor, war-torn regions or those in the wake of a natural disaster.......Read More

Clean air, transparent oceans, biodiversity, great coral reefs, rain forests — we used to take these things for granted. They were free and everlasting — or so we thought. After decades of abuse, our planet is showing signs of exhaustion. Furthermore the political climate and rhetoric in some countries have increased concerns that the transition to a decarbonized world powered by renewable energy could be at risk. If that proves true, the consequences would be devastating.......Read More

APICS magazine Associate Editor Jennifer Storelli had the opportunity to speak with John Mackey, cofounder and CEO of Whole Foods Market, about his mission and aspirations for Whole Foods Market, the business practices behind conscious capitalism, and how professionals can become conscious leaders.......Read More